Collection: Korean Quotes

Two hundred and fifty lines in Korean: proverbs (속담) that every Korean grows up hearing, four-character idioms of Chinese origin, and lines from Admiral Yi Sun-sin, King Sejong, the poets Yun Dong-ju, Han Yong-un and Kim So-wol, and the monk Haemin Sunim. The print carries the Hangul only; the English translation is on the product page.

Unlike our Chinese and Japanese prints, Korean is set horizontally, left to right, which is how modern Korean is written and read. These prints are bought by Korean families abroad who want Hangul on the wall for the children, by learners, and by people who came home from Seoul with a phrase they keep repeating. The proverbs suit a kitchen; the poets belong in a study.

Three to start with

• 시작이 반이다 (Beginning is half the work)
• 고생 끝에 낙이 온다 (After hardship comes happiness)
• 죽는 날까지 하늘을 우러러 한 점 부끄럼이 없기를 (Until the day I die, may I have not one speck of shame as I look up at the sky), Yun Dong-ju

Questions people ask

Is the translation on the print? No. The print carries the original words and the author only; the English translation is on the product page.

Why horizontal, when Chinese and Japanese are vertical? Because that is how Korean is written today. Vertical Hangul would look like a museum label, not a living language.

Which sizes? Eight, from 5 x 7 inches to 24 x 36 inches, plus A4, as a PDF with embedded vector type.